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CHINA’S LONG MARCH 5 (LM-5)RETURN TO FLIGHT, Dec 27, 2019, Hainan Island, China, between 7:27-11:45 am ET
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Update, December 24: Andrew Jones tweets that the airspace closure for the launch is between 7:27 am ET and 11:45 am ET.
Below are the airspace closure notifications for China’s crucial Long March 5 launch. These put the launch between 12:27 – 16:45 UTC/7:27 – 11:45 a.m. Eastern Dec. 27. https://t.co/SgsSRVOLCS
— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) December 24, 2019
Original Entry: Media sources are reporting that China plans to launch its Long March 5 rocket on December 27, 2019 from its launch site on Hainan Island. The time has not been announced,but China is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time so it could be December 26 EST.
The third Long March 5, China’s largest rocket, has been rolled out to the pad at Wenchang. Launch set for the 27th. This launch has to go well for China to carry out its planned Mars mission & lunar sample return next year. Source: CASC https://t.co/MjSQQkLtm0 pic.twitter.com/7J0zWAedww
— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) December 21, 2019
Long March 5 is the largest of China’s rockets — roughly equivalent to a U.S. Delta IV Heavy — but it failed on its second flight in 2017. This will be its return-t0-flight mission.
Long March 5 is critically important for China’s future space plans. Among the missions waiting for it are China’s robotic Mars orbiter/lander/rover scheduled for launch in the summer of 2020; three modules that will form a larger space station than China has had in the past (China hoped to have that completed in 2022); the Change’5 robotic lunar sample return mission (already delayed because LM5 was not available), and more.